


Merry And Bright

by TheGoblinJester



Series: Christmas Lights 'Verse [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal Life, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 05:24:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5527664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoblinJester/pseuds/TheGoblinJester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few years after Light My Heart Up, Dean has a very special plan involving himself, Cas, and a hell of a lot of LEDs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Merry And Bright

“Dean Winchester, what _have_ you done to that pie filling?” Mary demanded, hands on her hips.

“I'll admit, I might have gone a bit crazy with the sugar.” Dean said pensively, staring down into the mixing bowl. “I can fix it. I'll just double the rest of the ingredients. Or triple them, I guess.”

Mary sighed and shook her head, nudging Dean out of the way and taking the bowl and spoon from him.

“I'll take care of this, sweetheart.” she assured him, patting him on the arm. “You go help Sam get the ornaments down.”

“I got this mom, really.”

“Dean,” she said severely, looking him straight in the eye. “I know you can handle your pies, but you've been glancing over at the clock all afternoon. I can tell you're distracted.”

“What if I become so distracted that I trip and drop all the glass ornaments?” Dean asked in a halfhearted protest. “That'll be on you for giving that job to a distracted guy...”

Mary shooed him away. He pulled off his apron (it had a sprig of mistletoe embroidered over the words: “kiss the cook”) and handed it over.

We have too many ornaments anyway.” she assured him. “Baubles we can live without. Pie? Not so much.”

Dean laughed and kissed her on the cheek before heading out to the living room, where a half-dozen cardboard boxes were set out and about. The attic ladder had been opened up, and the lower half of Sam Winchester was seen, buried in attic from the waist up.

“Need a hand, Sammy?” Dean called up.

In lieu of a response, Sam dropped a particularly heavy box into Dean's arms.

“Put that by the fireplace.” Sam instructed.

“You're welcome.” Dean huffed, but he did as he was told anyway and put the box over where Sam had instructed.

Straightening up, Dean took a moment to admire the stockings. They were all hand-made by Mary and each had a name embroidered at the top. Dean's was from when he was four, and was made from a purple fleece covered in cheerful teddy bears. Sam's was from when he was six, and was patterned with dogs of varying breeds. The newest addition to the mantle was a baby-blue stocking with an angel on it, a sock lovingly created not too long ago.

“Nervous?” Sam asked, dusting his hands off as he came over to stand by Dean.

“Me?” Dean scoffed. “Never.”

“You're nervous.” Sam said knowingly. “Don't worry, dude. It's a sure thing.”

“Yeah, that's what everyone's been saying...”

“But...?”

“But wouldn't it just be my luck for him to say no?” Dean asked. “Like, karmic balance for the stroke of utter miracle that he asked me out in the first place.”

“Dean. Stop psyching yourself out.” Sam scolded, putting a firm hand on his brother's shoulder. “I've never seen anyone more in love with anyone else in my life. It's disgustingly adorable.”

“Shut up.” Dean said, pushing him away but unable to keep from grinning. “You think so?”

“Yeah, of course. I wish you'd let me be there to take a picture of the face he'll make when you ask him.” Sam told him. “It'll be like, the face Charlie was making throughout the entirety of The Force Awakens.”

“It's gotta be just him and me.” Dean said, shaking his head. “Actually, he should be home soon... said he just had a few last-minute things to get. It's Christmas eve, though. Who's still shopping on Christmas eve?”

“We're only just now putting up ornaments.” Sam reminded him.

“That's just because no one's going to be crowing the house, waiting to buy an Xbox last minute or something.” Dean said dismissively.

Sam opened his mouth to reply when the sound of a car pulling into the driveway cut him off. Dean's eyes widened, and he and Sam shared a look.

“Go. I got this.” Sam said, gesturing to the rest of the ornaments.

“You're a life saver, Sam.” Dean said gratefully, grabbing the little remote control for the lights and starting for the door.

“Remember to breathe, Dean!” Sam called after him.

 

Dean practically ran to the walkway, where a bundled-up Cas was quick to hide something behind his back. Castiel's cheeks and nose were a bit red from the cold, and flakes of snow sat in his hair and clothing. He wore a red scarf that Mary had made for him the previous winter, and a jacket that he had “borrowed” from Dean with no intention of returning it.

He was gorgeous, and Dean had half a mind to balk on his plan and run back into the house.

“You know, Dean, I was only gone for twenty minutes.” Cas said seriously, but a twinkle in his eye told Dean that he was making fun of him.

“What, can't a guy be excited to see his boyfriend?” Dean huffed. “Did you get my text?”

“Yes, and they were all out of peppermint bark. I'm sorry.”

“Ah well. Can't win them all. Say, it's getting kinda dark...”

“Yes, Dean. That's how winter works. It gets darker earlier.” Cas said patiently.

“Shut up. What I mean to say is, um, wanna see the lights?” Dean asked, trying to play it cool. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sam peeking through the curtains. “The lights that I put up?”

“We should probably go inside. You're not wearing any shoes.” Castiel pointed out. “As is also true of winter, it's cold out.”

“Gee, really?” Dean laughed nervously. “Hadn't noticed. C'mon, let me show you the lights, then we can go in.”

Castiel frowned, but took his scarf off and wound it carefully around Dean's neck.

“Won't protect your toes from frostbite, but I won't have you catching hypothermia.” Cas told him. “Alright, let's see these lights.”

Dean grinned. Cas had fought for creative control over the lights this year, but Dean had won him over with the promise of a Harry Potter-themed tree.

“The honor's yours.” Dean said grandly, handing him the remote.

Castiel took it in his right hand, the other still holding something behind his back, and turned to face the house.

Dean found that he was bouncing on the heels of his feet, and not from the cold. He was hit with a wave of doubt. What if half the lights didn't come on? What if he had misspelled something? What if Cas said no?

Before Dean could do anything drastic, Cas pressed the button.

In a blaze of turquoise, scarlet, and gold, the house sprang to life. Trimming every corner, wrapping around the trees, and climbing up the chimney were small, festive bulbs of color. Around the edge of the roof were those pretty rainbow lights that Castiel had been eying in the store a few weeks ago, and on a blank patch of wall hung a huge wreath all lit up and twinkling gently.

Along the walkway and staked into the ground were large Christmas bulbs, changing color and leading the way up to the door, around which a garland hung, shining gold and red. A beautiful peacock, a recurring favorite of Dean's, sat by the front window, glowing a royal blue.

And in the lawn, amidst a field of gold lights, strands of turquoise spelled out the following:

 

CAS

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

 

Dean sighed with relief; nothing had gone horribly wrong yet. The lights were all working and they all spelled what they were supposed to spell and Cas – well, Cas stood frozen, blinking down at the lawn like he couldn't quite see it.

“Um, yeah.” Dean said unnecessarily. “Those... those are the lights.”

“They certainly are.” Cas agreed.

A moment passed.

“So...? Uh, I don't mean to rush you, or anything, but it _is_ kinda cold out here and the suspense is _killing_ me...” Dean trailed off, rubbing his hands together to warm his fingers.

Castiel looked over at him, and Dean had to take a moment to appreciate how damn good the guy looked in this lighting. He also took a moment to appreciate how _damn long_ the guy was taking to answer a yes or no question. Dean had never been this scared in his life.

And then his heart dropped a thousand miles, because Cas started laughing. _Laughing._

“Look, Cas, you can just _tell me_ no-” Dean began, feeling especially foolish.

“Dean!” Castiel managed after taking a breath. “Dean, no, I don't mean that. Of _course_ I want to marry you. It's just...”

“Just what, Cas?” Dean asked, a bit grumpy after being dragged on this emotional roller coaster of an evening. “What's so damn funny?”

Cas, of course, took Dean's surly tone in stride, and didn't stop grinning for a second.

“It's just... I had just gone out to get you this.” Castiel replied, producing from behind his back a small black box. “Pick it up, that is. I had pre-ordered it and it only just arrived at the shop.”

“... _oh._ ”

“And I wanted to go inside so I could kneel and do this properly without fear of the snow melting into the knees of my pants.” Castiel explained. “But since we're here...”

He popped open the lid of the box with his thumb. It was a ring. A simple, elegant ring. Dean couldn't make out the details of it too well – his vision was starting to blur.

“I have a feeling I already know how you're going to answer, but Dean Winchester... will you-”

“Yes.” Dean said quickly. “Yes. _Hell_ yes.”

He could barely stand still long enough for Cas to put the ring on his finger, and pulled Cas into a tight hug the moment his hands were free.

“I'm sorry I scared you, Dean.” Cas mumbled into his shoulder. “The timing was just alarmingly coincidental.”

“It's fine, Cas. It's all good.” Dean replied. “Actually, to make it up to me, _you_ can put the lights up next year.”

“I think I can manage that.” Castiel said, ending the embrace in favor of warming Dean's hands in his own. “Merry Christmas, Dean.”

“Merry Christmas, Cas.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> The majority of the fics I write are Christmas-based, apparently. Happy Holidays!


End file.
